Creative team and dates announced for Beauty and the Beast 2021 UK tour

Beauty and the Beast 2021 UK creative team announced!

Olivier Award-winning musical Beauty and the Beast — which features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton — has just announced creatives for the upcoming UK touring production.

The completely transformed show will be directed by Rob Roth and will feature choreography from Matt West, costume design from Ann Hould-Ward, hair design from David H. Lawrence, illusions design from Jim Steinmeyer who helped with the 1994 production, lighting design from Natasha Katz, sound design from John Shivers, scenic design from Stan Meyer, video and projections design from Darryl Maloney, plus new dance arrangements from David Chase that will allow West to revisit his choreographic work.

Casting will be done by Pippa Ailion with a cast announcement expected at a later date.

Beauty and the Beast UK tour dates 2021

The 2021 Beauty and the Beast UK tour will begin on 25 May at The Curve Leicester, where it will run for five weeks. It will then head to Dublin's Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from 8 July, to the Bristol Hippodrome from 12 August, to the Liverpool Empire from 23 September, and to the Edinburgh Playhouse from 21 October.

Exact tour dates, performances times, and further details have yet to be announced. It also has yet to be confirmed whether the show's tour will culminate in a West End revival run.

The musical received its West End premiere at the Dominion Theatre back in 1997 whilst the New York City production lasted from 1994 until 2007 and holds the theatre record for the tenth-longest running Broadway show in history. Following a West End run, the show hit the road for a nationwide UK tour from 2001.

What is the Beauty and the Beast musical about?

Based on the original 1991 Disney animated film of the same name, Beauty and the Beast was very swiftly adapted into a stage musical just three years after the film was released in cinemas. It remains true the film's original plot and follows a young woman named Belle who stumbles upon a forgotten prince cursed to live life as a beast until he can find true love.

Director Rob Roth weighs in on the new production

Rob Roth said: "I am so excited to premiere this new production of Beauty in the UK. The entire original creative team has reassembled, and we've reimagined the visual aspects of the show completely, making full use of all the newest technologies in stage craft, lighting and costume construction. Many of these elements hadn't been invented when we first developed the show.

"So we are creating something brand new from this beloved "tale as old as time." I speak for the whole team when I say fortunate we all feel to be given the opportunity to reimagine the show for the 21st century."

Beauty and the Beast coming soon to London's West End?

A new West End run is certainly not out of the question, but there will definitely still be several falling rose petals to count before a transfer is announced.